1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to word processing apparatus such as word processors and computers capable of preparing documents. More particularly the invention relates to a word processing apparatus with a handwriting input function that allows a handwriting input operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Word processors which have both a display unit and an integrated tablet input unit are conventionally known as pen input word processors. Examples of word processors which use a table input unit to enter editing symbols for editing documents are disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. SHO 61-226869 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. HEI 3-25577.
FIG. 20 shows a functional block diagram of such a conventional pen input word processing apparatus. Referring to FIG. 20, reference numeral 31 designates an application memory unit in which each kind of application program is stored, 32 a system control unit that performs data processing based on the application stored in the application program(s) memory unit 31, 33 a key driver that receives a key input from a keyboard, 34 a pen driver that receives a pen input from the tablet, 35 a pen input control unit that receives track data of the tablet pen transmitted from the pen driver 34 to control the track data based on the instruction from the system control unit 32, 36 a display driver that receives a track image of the pen output from the pen input control unit and is controlled by the system control unit 32 to control the display, 37 an engine for recognizing a handwritten symbol that recognizes what symbol is formed by the pen track by receiving track data from the pen input control unit 35 and comparing the data thus received with each kind of character and symbol pattern stored in advance.
Such conventional pen input word processing apparatus edits documents with a handwriting input of editing symbols as shown in FIG. 21 using a tablet pen.
Such editing symbols are determined in the following way.
"Return"--a handwriting symbol for moving down from an upper line and then travelling further to the left. "Space"--a a handwriting symbol for moving down from an upper line and then travelling further to the right, the amount of space thereof being determined by the length to the travel to the right side."
"One character deletion"--a handwriting symbol for moving up from a lower line while making a circle.
"TAB"--a handwriting symbol for moving up from the lower line to the upper line and then travelling further to the right.
"Region"--a handwriting symbol for moving from the left to the right, the amount of region being determined by the length of the travel to the right. Incidentally using a combination of "one character deletion" and "region" allows the definition of region deletion.
FIGS. 22a through 22f are views for illustrating examples of processing such editing symbols. For example, the input of the return key provides an editing of documents as shown in FIG. 22b. The input of an editing symbol "space" with a tablet pen as shown in FIG. 22c provides an editing of documents as shown in FIG. 22d. The input of "one character deletion"--with the tablet pen provides an editing of documents as shown in FIG. 22e.
Editing operation by handwriting symbols using a tablet pen has been done as mentioned above according to the conventional method.
However, in the application of these editing symbols, the conventional key input is simply replaced by the pen. There is no feature peculiar to the pen input operation displayed therein. In other words, such input operation has a drawback that processing documents using such editing symbols is does not substantially differ from the ordinary processing by the conventional method in which documents are processed successively, so that it is very difficult to see the context thereof, which in turn makes it very hard to operate the pen input function of this kind.
Besides, assuming that a wrong editing symbol is entered or such wrong symbol is recognized, the movement of symbols on the display screen is too rapid in a successive processing of editing symbols based on the result of the recognition with the result that it takes time to comprehend the content of editing.
As related art of the present invention, Japanese Laid-Open Patent. No. SHO 51-93830 discloses a control instruction apparatus which allows a pen to enter continuous coordinates like a line drawn with one stroke of a brush to detect the order of element regions where coordinates (drawn with one stroke of a brush thereby corresponding to the control instruction.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. SHO 62-28828 discloses a tablet input data processing apparatus that offers simultaneously characters/positions to be edited and editing instructions by entering specific editing symbols to a document displayed on a display integrated tablet through pen input operation.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. SHO 62-256023 discloses a tablet input data processing apparatus comprising an instruction input system that improves the operability of such work as editing and proof-reading a document by determining from a set of operation position relative to the touch operation the pattern of instruction and a region where the instruction is executed.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. HEI 3-150625 discloses a tablet input data processing apparatus comprising an instruction input system that allows an easy input of a plurality of instruction by constituting mutually corresponding instructions into the same pattern and differentiating the direction (stroke) of writing each different instruction.